Global Rundown
- Tensions are rising in central Iran, where farmers say the government is diverting river water for industrial use at the expense of crops and basic community needs.
- A new study has found that rivers across Brazil are “leaking” water to underground aquifers as the demand for irrigation remains high.
- Solar-powered irrigation systems are showing promise in Rwanda, where dozens of farms are using clean energy to bolster food production.
- Heavy weekend rains fell on Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, causing the Ndjili River to overtop and killing dozens as recovery efforts are underway.
The Lead
Torrential rains fell this weekend on Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and home to 17 million people, killing around 30 people, Reuters reports. Authorities say the Ndjili River, which flows through the city, overtopped Friday night and sent floodwaters gushing through crowded streets and homes. Hydrologist Raphael Tshimanga Muamba told the outlet that human activity had contributed to the riverbank’s erosion, limiting its resilience in sudden deluges: “These are anthropogenic actions where rivers are degraded; their dimensions no longer represent their initial capacity to contain floods.”
As reported by Al Jazeera, Provincial Health Minister Patricien Gongo said the majority of the deaths were caused by collapsing walls. Landslides affected several neighborhoods. Water utilities are expected to be back online in two or three days, said Kinshasa Gov. Daniel Bumba Lubaki, who also blamed unplanned settlement housing for some of the deaths and threatened evictions in a televised speech.
Recent WaterNews from Circle of Blue
- Data Centers a Small, But Growing Factor in Arizona’s Water Budget — Computing consumes water but zero-water solutions are at hand.
- Is Water the Unmentioned Reason for Trump’s Interest in Greenland? — Melting ice could slake the thirst for drying farm regions, water-scarce cities.
This Week’s Top Water Stories, Told In Numbers
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Percent of wells — of 18,000 tested in river basins across Brazil — where the water level is lower than that of nearby waterways, meaning that more water than previously thought is flowing from rivers and streams into underground aquifers. “Wells overpumping groundwater could be forcing rivers to seep underground,” Eos reports. The new research, published this winter in Nature Communications, shows that these “leaking” rivers may be losing water to aquifers at varying and concerning rates. In the northeastern São Francisco basin, the researchers estimated this was true of 60 percent of rivers. In the eastern Verde Grande basin, 74 percent of rivers were losing water to aquifers. The researchers found that irrigation consumed the majority of water in these areas.
2,830
Acres of farmland Rwanda hopes to irrigate with solar power by 2029 as part of a national movement to combine clean energy with more robust, water-conscious food production, which is an industry that supports 60 percent of Africa’s workforce, Mongabay reports. Parts of Rwanda have faced drought in recent years, making every drop of water valuable, especially for growers who live off the grid. The solar-powered irrigation systems, currently used by 87 farming cooperatives across the country, are delivering consistent and precise amounts of water to growers who had previously been disconnected from public utilities. Practitioners are hoping the method catches on in the region. According to Mongabay, less than five percent of growers in sub-Saharan Africa “use any form of water management practice.”
On the Radar
Frustration and unrest is mounting in Iran’s central provinces of Isfahan and Yazd. Farmers are accusing the national government of diverting water from the Zayandeh watershed — at the expense of their failing crops — to support industry, the National Union for Democracy in Iran reports. Recent demonstrations throughout the region have turned violent, with security forces using tear gas at one rally, according to video footage posted on X. In response to the region’s ongoing water crisis, which experts say is exacerbated by drought, historical mismanagement of dams and reservoirs, and overconsumption of groundwater, protestors have attacked water transmission lines and set fire to facilities. According to Radio Farda, the drinking water currently being supplied to communities in Yazd is too salty to drink.
Fresh: From the Great Lakes Region
Wisconsin’s Record Irrigation: New data shows that Wisconsin’s farmers pumped 125 billion gallons of groundwater — the most ever — for irrigation alone in 2023, a year marked by drought and extreme heat, Wisconsin Public Radio reports. It was the fourth-driest year and fourth-warmest growing season in the state’s history. The previous record of 115 billion gallons for crop irrigation was set in 2012. Since that year, nearly 700 high-capacity wells, capable of pumping 100,000 gallons of water per day, have been approved by Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources.
Chicago River Study: Scientists from the Shedd Aquarium are launching a new study to better understand how fish are affected when excess sewage is released into the Chicago River during heavy rain events, CBS News reports. When storms hit, wastewater and stormwater mix in the city’s combined sewer system and drain into the river, where sediment and heavy metals linger. After these events, fish often leave and rarely return. Currently, scientists have trackers on 100 individuals — carp, largemouth bass, and walleye — and plan to tag another 70 this spring.
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, Michigan Public and The Narwhal work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work here.
- In a Nova Scotia research lab, the last hope for an ancient fish species — The Narwhal
- Autoworkers’ long history of protecting our environment — Great Lakes Now
- Trump reverses cuts to Great Lakes lamprey program, but uncertainty remains — Bridge Michigan
- Michigan needs rain, but not too much rain! — Michigan Public